TAKING A PERSONAL DAY, but did want to note that Joni Mitchell is apparently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits. I can't help but wonder if it's related to her claim of Morgellons disease, which is not recognized by the broader medical community.

THE MUPPETS cover Digital Underground's  "Humpty Dance" via the magic of video editing.

THE GO! TEAM advance streams Between The Scene Between - an alternate vesrion of the latest LP.

UPSET advance streams their ’76 EP.

WEED advance streams Running Back.

GODMODE advance streams the label's American Music compilation.

PALMA VIOLETS share “English Tongue,” the second single from their upcoming LP.

LA FONT drops "Whisperer" ahead of the Hangtime Vol. 1 EP.

GUADALCANAL DIARY: From the "Where Are They Now?" file (and MTV's 120 Minutes), we have a semi-live take on "Watusi Rodeo."

JONI MITCHELL was rushed to a hospital after a 911 call from her home Tuesday.

GARAGE ROCK: The A.V. Club's primer features only three songs from the ^0s -- and somehow misses The Lyres' "Help You Ann."

TOM T. HALL: The cult hero admired by both Johnny Cash and Kurt Vonnegut.

TIDAL: The Hubris of Jay Z?

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD's new trailer gives some hints about the story, if that matters.

JUSTIN BIEBER  is looking to rehab his image.

RHIANNA denies dating LEONARDO DiCAPRIO.

PAULA PATTON says she's grown since dumping Robin Thicke.

HELEN MIRREN wants to be one of the Fast and Furious.

BRUCE JENNER  had his breast implant surgery?

TARA REID looked worryingly thin as she posed in a bikini on the beach on Friday. 

EGYPT: President Obama on Tuesday lifted his nearly two-year ban on shipping American weapons to Egypt, a restriction imposed after its military kicked out its elected government in 2013.

IRAQ: The Islamic State group still controls parts of the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which Baghdad announced had been retaken, the US-led coalition battling the jihadists said Tuesday.

IRAN: Talks to reach a deal on a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program will be extended an extra day, U.S. officials said. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius informed the Iranians that he will return to Paris at dawn Wednesday in an apparent effort to force the Iranians' hand. Germany is also threatening to leave. Meanwhile, an Iranian military observation aircraft flew within 50 yards of an armed U.S. Navy helicopter over the Persian Gulf this month, sparking concern that top Iranian commanders might not be in full control of local forces.

SHEEP: Herded by Shep the Drone.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A Manhattan man says he was attacked by a pack of baby squirrels.

SEA LION PUPS are stranded and starving on California beaches.

A ROGUE COYOTE was spotted Monday roaming around the roof of a bar in Queens.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA drops a video for "Multi-Love."

AMERICAN WRESTLERS advance stream their self-titled debut.

TORO Y MOI advance streams What For?

DRENGE advance streams Undertow.

JOHNNY JEWEL advance streams the soundtrack to Lost River.

WARM SODA drops “I Wanna Go Fast,” the first single from the upcoming third LP, Symbolic Dream.

PAUL WELLER drops "Saturn's Pattern," the title track to his next LP.

RANK AND FILE: The seminal country-punk band formed by brothers Chip and Tony Kinman -- and including Alejandro Escovedo -- checks in with "Amanda Ruth" and their title song for Twofer Tuesday.

FAITH NO MORE: Mike Patton and Billy Gould talk to Pitchfork about their reunion.

JASON ISBELL talks to Rolling Stone about his ceebratory new LP.

LEE HAZLEWOOD: How the reclusive singer-songwriter was coaxed back onstage.

SIX SECONDS that shaped 1500 other songs.

HARRISON FORD left UCLA hospital after spending weeks recovering after his March 5 plane crash.

TREVOR NOAH will succeed Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.

RUSSELL CROWE gives a remarkably free-wheeling (for him) interview to The Guardian. Are you not entertained?

HARVEY WEINSTEIN was accused of groping a 22-year-old woman at the Tribeca Film Center in New York. The matter is still under investigation, and no charges have been filed.

MULAN joins Disney's list of live-action projects?

SHERLOCK is not gay. NTTAWWT.

UKRAINE: 22 Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine’s separatist-held eastern territories over the weekend.

LIBYA: The internationally-recognized Libyan government will request intervention from the Arab League to help stabilize the country.

FRANCE doesn't trust Iran and the US isn't ranking much higher with them these days.

SAUDI forces struck a Houthi arms depot in Yemen. It blew up real good. But that may have consequences. The Arab coalition naval forces are now in full control of Yemeni sea ports, a spokesman for the Saudi military said on Monday.

A CAT balances a q-tip on its nose.

CELEBRITY LLAMAS are now being forced to retire by the United States Department of Agriculture.

MINI-COWS reunite with a Missouri family.

ELEPHANT ATTACKS deterred by vuvuzelas? Or aggravated by them?

BEN GIBBARD covers Guided By Voices' "Tractor Rape Chain."

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS advance stream Beat The Champ.

WAXAHATCHEE advance streams Ivy Tripp.

JESSIE BAYLIN advance streams Dark Place.

SAY LOU LOU advance streams Lucid Dreaming.

HARRY NILSSON: "Everybody's Talking" on Swedish TV, circa 1969.

SUFJAN STEVENS talks to Dave Eggers about how difficult his new LP was to make, his dysfunctional childhood and how playing the songs live will be a joyful relief.

THE ALABAMA SHAKES: From small-town bar band to titans of rock.

JOHN RENBOURN, a founding member of the English folk group Pentangle, has died. He was 70 years old. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Home tops the chart with 54MM (and a strong 47MM in overseas markets), but whether it has legs sufficient to stop DreamWorks Animation's very hit-and-miss track record remains to be seen.  Get Hard placed with 24.6MM --near the top end of Will Farrell's and Kevin Hart's openings  --but poor reviews and a "B" Cinemscore may raise an issue on the seemingly large marketing budget.  Insurgent showed with 22MM  --that 58 percent drop from its opening was probably not shocking, given that LionsGate has put itsmarketing focus on overseas markets, where it hastaken in 93MM, a bit more than the 86MM domestic.  Cinderella tales the fourth slot with 17.5MM on a 50 percent drop; Home likely ate into this audience, but the film is probably closing in on profit, if it hasn't profited already.  It Follows rounds out the Top Five with 4MM -- not bad against a 2MM budget and limited marketing after the decision was made to take this well-reviewed horror pic to wide release instead of VOD.

BILL COSBY: Two more women came forward on Friday accusing the veteran comedian of drugging and sexually assaulting them decades ago, when they were in their teens.

MARIAH CAREY & BRETT RATNER are an item, apparently.

DESTINY'S CHILD reunited at the Gospel Music Awards.

TOM BRADY cliff-dives.

DREA DeMATEO (The Sopranos) was among scores of New Yorkers left homeless after a gas explosion sparked an inferno that destroyed four apartment buildings along Second Ave. in the East Village.

SAM WORTHINGTON  and his wife Lara Bingle have welcomed their first child.

NOAH BAUMBACH: The writer-director tells Vulture about the prized possessions in his personal music collection, and what movie soundtrack makes him cry: "I would no longer come to me to find out what the best new music is, as much as it pains me to say that."

SPECTRE: The next Bond film has a teaser trailer online.

TERMINATOR: GENISYS also has a British teaser trailer online...revealing J.K. Simmons as the psychologist.

THE ISLAMIC STATE did not actually invade Luke Skywalker's home, clarifying prior reports.

IRAN has failed to cooperate with a United Nations probe into whether it tried to build atomic weapons in the past, say people close to the current nuke negotiations.

IRAQ Inches Toward a Three-Way Split?

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL said Palestinian rocket fire during the 2014 summer war in Gaza had killed more civilians in the Gaza Strip than in Israel. Such deadly attacks on civilians on both sides constituted "a war crime," it said.

A PANDA tumples from his tree into his fellow pandas.

MONSTER FISH clamps onto a man's arm.

A GOOSE is to blame for an power outage that left more than 300 customers in Boise without power Friday morning. Undoubtedly planned by squirrels.

A TORTOISE gets a sporty red shell from a 3-D printer.

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

... with THE BYRDS!  Pretty much because I dig them as we turn into Spring (or Fall).  Let's start with a rare 1965 clip of their breakthrough smash cover of "Mr. Tambourine Man."  There are screaming girls, plus go-go dancers when they hit Shivaree for "All I Really Want to Do" and "Feel A Whole Lot Better."  Next up is a rare sync of "I Knew I'd Want You." There are even more dancers when they cover Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" for Shindig! on June 23, 1965, while I'm pretty sure that's Ed Wynn introducing "Chimes of Freedom."  You might recognize the voice introducing "Bells Of Rhymney" from poolside in August 1965 and "It Won't Be Wrong" from a corral in January 1966 on Where The Action Is.  BONUS:  Want a couple in color?  Here's "Turn, Turn, Turn!" and "Mr. Spaceman." DOUBLE BONUS: A rare 1967 sync of "Eight Miles High."

JD McPHERSON chats and plays on WFUV Live.

TWEEDY perform a magnificent set of tunes from their recent album Sukierae live on KEXP.

THE DODOS  perform live on KEXP.

NEW MADRID stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

BLEACHERS: Jack Antonoff throws some Autotune on his cover of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence".

SOUL ASYLUM's near-breakthru, "Someone to Shove."

BELLE & SEBASTIAN: Less quiet balladry, more dance floor.  (Thx, Frank Yang.)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & BON JOVI may face tax hikes as a new law takes aim at "fake farmers."

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION reaches home video.

WHAT 30 MUSICIANS are reading on tour.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Home, which is currently scoring 39 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and Get Hard, which is scoring 29 percent. Also, It Follows expands wide scoring 95 percent, as its limited run did so well that it postponed its move to VOD.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: Sam Taylor-Johnson has made official what many suspected.  She will not return to direct the second installment of the film franchise.

JENNIFER LOPEZ & CASPER SMART, together again.

BILLY RAY CYRUS defended his daughter Miley Cyrus' boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger on Wednesday, Mar. 25, after the Kennedy descendant's antics during spring break in Cabo San Lucas made headlines last week.

CRAIG T. NELSON will Coach again.

SYRIA: The global chemical weapons watchdog will investigate allegations of a chlorine gas attack on a Syrian village that killed six and wounded dozens earlier this month, a source told Reuters on Thursday.

TURKEY said it supports the Saudi-led military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen and called on the militia group and its "foreign supporters" to abandon acts which threaten peace and security in the region.

IRAN: The United States is considering letting Tehran run hundreds of centrifuges at a once-secret, fortified underground bunker in exchange for limits on centrifuge work and research and development at other sites, officials have told The Associated Press. A senior State Department official said Wednesday that it was possible to conclude a new accord on that nation’s nuclear program by early next week. The U.S. Senate would vote on a bill to toughen sanctions on Iran if international negotiators miss a deadline at the end of this month for reaching a framework nuclear agreement.

IRAQ: By Day 2 of the American airstrike campaign against militants holed up in Tikrit, the mission appeared beleaguered on several fronts on Thursday: Thousands of Shiite militiamen boycotted the fight in protest, others threatened to attack any Americans they found, and Iraqi officials said nine of their fighters had been accidentally killed in an airstrike.

CHIP & ADELE, living together...

A MONKEY IS ON THE LAM in Charlotte-Mecklenburg after attacking a maintenance worker in a hospital parking lot. Hope I'm not updating this 28 Days Later.

A BULLDOG left in a car summons help.

A SAUDI MAN would leave his wife over a camel.